Malpercius
Those designated with the last name 'Malpercius' are remnants from an ancient clan of Yokai-worshipping Occultists. This peculiar bloodline is endowed with a number of strange qualities, notably the power of 'Sacrifice', an inability to resist falling into Depravity while wielding Occultism, and unusually powerful Dark Magic. The Occult arts come to them naturally, though only in basic forms without training. Referred to as 'Malpercians' they are a rare clan still in existence only because of their obscurity, often living under different surnames than their true bloodline. History Over five centuries into the past, in the days of Arthor Pendragon in his peak, a Perfect Yokai arose and nearly destroyed Valmasia. But as it rose and thrived there were those who followed the grisly fiend's shadow out of desperation, and some, for a strange and rare affinity to the Dark; these latter souls would later be known as the descendents of Malpercius, branded forever with his surname and scattered about Valmasia. Originally conventional Occultists, they were humans mentally enthralled by the Yokai and later infused with their blood to produce enormously powerful minions. Seeing value in the rare few Occultists who survived the callous tactics of their masters, they noticed a trend of blood relation amongst these rare few, and a number of Imperfects subordinate to their single superior overfiend decided to experiment with their growing pool of Dark Magi by seeing what would happen if their descendents were permitted free will. The results were staggering; these later, selectively bred Occultists were utter monsters. They ruthlessly sacrificed their fellow man to the Yokai and seemed to abandon all facets of humanity, developing devious intelligence and putting it to work in the research of Forbidden Magics steeped in Depravity. Fortunately for the present Valmasia much of their wicked creations in spellcraft were destroyed shortly after the demise of the Perfect Yokai at Excalibur's edge. But the clan had spread far as elite instruments of disaster beneath the Yokai, whom had imparted unto them their Occult secrets and blood. A single human rose from their ranks as the Yokai became dissonant, squabbling and often disorganized; Malpercius himself. So many times had the generations of Occultists in this Yokai-tamed line been infused with their blood that a specific mutation occurred in them that distorted their right arms, bending the limb into strange shapes that eventually became entirely inhuman and outright monstrous, reflecting the depth of darkness within the bearer's own heart. The grisly curse as it would be called allowed another to absorb nearly all facets of living energies, and in it's most severe stages, life and memory entirely; though at terrible cost. Malpercius himself was an infamous Occultist in his time, though he ultimately perished to his own self-inflicted curses, choking on the purest ichor of Depravity before ordering his successor to kill him. But before losing his memory to the power of Sacrifice Malpercius sired many children, amongst others who could trace their bloodlines back to the forces of Occultists placed beneath the mighty Perfect Yokai. Some diffused into the populace of the world, others drew back and continued to fester on the fringes of society, but many pockets of these nefarious magi were purged in the waves of Exorcism that have risen throughout history. Lingering effects of Yokai blood infusion make the qualities of any of this bloodline mingles with show through couplings with other clans, instilling an immense tendency towards Darkness, but also inevitable Depravity, though a pure-blood Malpercian is always superior in taint to their lesser relatives. Despite trait dominance however purely cosmetic as well as physical traits can vary wildly throughout this bloodline, though they are inclined toward purple hair and fair skin, as well as eyes of a similar coloration (Light purple). Traits Any of Malpercius blood are doomed to Depravity; no magi of this bloodline is without Dark Magic, and 68% of all Malpercians are Magi. Non-Magi Malpercius children are Sacrificed, killed, exiled and/or eaten as soon as they are discovered to be mundane. No youth exceeds the age of twenty in this bloodline without some form of corruption, though what form it takes is almost unpredictable and just as varied as the individual. Known and prevailing traits are listed below. *'Natural Occultism: '''A Malpercian may exercise the most basic forms of Dark Magic with no training, and advance their arts from there. *'Depravity: There is no Malpercian that ages past twenty without becoming significantly Depraved in some facet of their being. *Sacrifice:' A cruel power that has ended over half of all Malpercians; it allows one to absorb all things pertaining to life at the cost of mutation, empowering an Occultist and manifesting only in Depraved users of Dark Magic. Only two stages are known, but there is said to be a third and vile form that entails a loss of vital components to one's own humanity. *'Depraved Magic:' Malpercians are talented in spellcraft that goes against the lifestream, granting them great potential in Necromancy, Rift Magic, and other Depraved arts. *'Malpercian Necromancy:' A grotesque distortion of Necromancy exceeding it's purpose and limitations, used to further the ambition of a vile Warlock. Notable Malpercians * '''Malpercius (300's): '''The original mad sorcerer himself whom, instead of saving himself from decay and dementia, hastened it for a tiny bit more power. The first Malpercius to travel beyond the lands dominated by Yokai. Died ordering his own successor to Sacrifice him, at the age of sixty three. * '''Kudlak Malpercius (700's): '''Original Druid of the Black Circle, Necromantic dignitary and one of Namarre Sakete's last disciples before her death; re-discovered the Diabolicon. Died in battle against the Sins, for his own jealousy and spite; consumed by the Diabolicon at the age of twenty three. * '''Raric Malpercius (700's): '''Adopted son of Kudlak who later replaced his right arm with the mutated limb of his father, orphaned by the Occultist purges of Byson. Raised to seek vengeance under the virtues of might and bloodshed instilled by an upbringing in the Black Circle. A Shadowflame swordsman who later terrorized the Aegis Historia, eating the eyes of knights and repeatedly maiming their soldiers for naught but amusement at their terror; died in an Alteros duel by the sword of a Shadowflame swordswoman. * '''Magister Malpercius (700-800's): '''A runaway Occultist adept in Gravity magic and Yokai-Summoning, hailing from the remote Malpercius clans residing in the distant Frostvalian mountains. Received tutelage from the forces of Mimicry and became a frighteningly powerful magi, aiding in the massacre of the valley and temporarily leading the Black Circle; died at the age of sixteen, his throat slit by a lover. * 'Antoinette Avharain (787-815): A powerful Occultist descending from the ironically anti-Occult royalty of Byson; not a Malpercius by birth, she later survived blood corruption to acquire the powers of Sacrifice, staining her genes forever after with all the curses of the dark bloodline. Former Princess of Byson and Queen of Tilandre. Wielded Durendal, commanded Hellstorm and fought to claim supreme reign of the land, but was ultimately slain as the call of the Cursed Sword drew her enemies to her; died at age 28. * '''Pyralis Avharain (800's): '''The son of Magister Malpercius and Ashtelle Avharain; stole Durendal as a boy, aided the efforts of the Seers since adolescence and became the Sin of Greed. Sacrificial madness purged his mind- yet no less he sired heirs intended as Mormegillian royalty. With the fall of the dark city his daughters returned to Byson and took its throne; he himself held the crown, before challenging a rival ruler to a duel to the death- died after losing. * '''Vriskol Malpercius (800's): Rogue Pureblood Malpercian ruthlessly pursuing mastery of sacrifice; high sorcerer of Mormegil, wandering murderer and powerful Occultist. Created Dark Barrier Magic, a counter to Meliudas Eques' own art, which rather than directly protect the user saps the power of enemy attacks with draining hexes; died embattling a mirror-demon in pursuit of Durendal , the Cursed Sword. * Savant 'Spike' Malpercius (800-900's): '''Ventured from the Deadlands tribes for the sake of his own ambition, this Occultist stands as one of the most powerful sorcerers in history; Azraelite Vindicator, adept Necromancer, Rift master and wielder of the Profane Chorus- the third and final power of Sacrifice which allows the user to draw mana from the souls of the absorbed dead. Savant truly mastered the every power available to a Malpercian; his life was one of danger, ventures and outright war. Died battling the Krausite armies of the Whitecloaks and their Western allies in brutal combat. * '''Rin 'The Devourer' Malpercius (1030's-1060's): '''A Pureblood Malpercian from the island of Thanatos, she struck out against the Yokai she once worshipped as Gods, and annihilated her own clan and it's Kaor Lord. She embraced her fate as a doomed monster, and devoted her life towards becoming just that. Unlike most of the Malpercian bloodline, Rin partook in actual cannibalism and not merely just sacrifice, developing the powers of the '''Sin of Gluttony. '''She eventually made an emergence as a wordly threat, taking over the Yokai Citadel by herself. It was there that she progressed her dark arts, developing Malpercian Necromancy into a new craft focused upon the mutation of Yokai - Creating what she aptly named '''Eldritch. Even her own body was not off limits to her, as she experimented upon it with the intentional growth of her own parasitic limb. She became something of a walking abomination, and was notoriously difficult to injure, as her body progressed towards the status of an '''Elder Malpercian. '''She was killed in battle against Cinderfall in the year 1061, but rumor has it that before her death it was revealed that she had discovered a way to gather all seven Sins into a single body...Category:Family Category:Organization